Great Basin College
Course Syllabus
CRJ 211: Police in America
3 Semester Credits
Section 1001
Fall 2015
Location/Time:
Online - WebCampus
Class Duration:
August 31st, 2014 to December 18th, 2015
Instructor:
Rick Mackey, B.A., M.A.
Contact:
Email address: Rick.Mackey@gbcnv.edu
Office Phone: 775-753-2348
If you need to contact me, please feel free to do so at your
convenience. I check my email and my office phone at least once a
day for any messages.
Office Hours
Monday
Morning
By Appointment
Tuesday
Wednesday
10:00am-noon
By Appointment
Thursday
Friday
By Appointment
By Appointment
Afternoon
Noon-1:00pm,
2:30pm to 4:00pm
By Appointment
Noon-1:00pm,
2:30pm to 4:00pm
By Appointment
By Appointment
Catalog Description: Course includes police history and organization, the personal
side of policing, police operations, critical issues in policing; specific police problems,
women and minorities in policing; and becoming a police officer. Designed to help
students develop their own philosophy of law enforcement. Critical thinking and
discussion of ideas and opinions essential.
Required Textbook: Dempsey, J.S. & Forst, L.S., (2014), An Introduction to Policing,
8th Edition, Delmar/Cengage: Clifton Park, NY, ISBN # 978-1-285-86273-6.
Course Description: This course provides an overview of American policing from its
origins in Europe, specifically England. Students will learn ways in which police
agencies are organized. Operational methods employed in policing such as traditional
and non-traditional patrol, investigations, police/community interaction and community
policing will be reviewed. The personal side of policing will be examined so students can
learn more about hiring processes, police culture, efforts to attract and employ minority
officers, the emphasis on ethics, and various types of police misconduct. Discussions
on current issues in policing, as well as future critical issues are also an important
consideration.
Course Objectives:
1. Communicate clearly and effectively in written forms, i.e., discussion,
reading, listening.
2. Describe the American style of policing, its history, the arena in which it
operates and issues affecting the police and the community.
3. Describe the personnel issues facing police administrators and managers in
the areas of recruitment, selection, education, and performance.
4. Describe police management and the factors that affect change in police
organizations.
5. Explain how police misconduct, use of force, ethics and other legal issues
impact policing within a democracy.
6. Define community policing and recognize the varied approaches to
community policing.
7. Identify traditional and non-traditional methods of policing and describe their
effectiveness.
8. Explain some of the critical issues affecting policing now and identify several
that will have a potential effect in the future.
Learner Outcomes:
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Outcomes
Know the issues that face police
managers and be able to identify various
ways the issues may be addressed.
Know the difference between the levels
of policing, i.e., local, state, federal
Recognize the current issues that affect
law enforcement
Define the basic terminology used in
policing
Define the viewpoints facing police
officers in today’s society
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
Measurement
Discussion boards
Quizzes and/or exams
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
Quizzes and/or exams
Discussion boards
Written assignments
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
Quizzes and/or exams
Discussion boards
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Know the evolution of management
approaches in policing
Understand how the issues impact the
relationship between the police and the
communities they serve
Compare community policing with other
methods of policing
Explain how various approaches to
policing can be measured
Recognize how local policing is
conducted

Quizzes and/or exams
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

Discussion boards
Internet research
Written assignment
Course Requirements:
The student is responsible for reading the assigned chapters in the text book and
completing all assignments, quizzes and tests within the time frame later described in
this syllabus. What this means is this is NOT A SELF-PACED COURSE. If the
quizzes, tests and assignments are not turned in by the prescribed posted time and
date, the student will not get any credit for that assignment or test.
For example, there is a 10-point quiz every week covering the reading assignment.
Generally speaking, the quiz will be posted on Monday or Tuesday of the week, and you
will have until Sunday (for or five days later) to post your completed quiz. I would highly
recommend spending the first part of the week completing the reading assignments,
studying the power point presentations, and working on whatever other material may be
assigned for that week. I would then recommend taking the quiz during the later portion
of the week after you have had a chance to study all of the material and have engaged
in online discussions with other students and myself. These are not open book quizzes!
You will only have a few minutes to complete the quiz and will not have time to look up
answers in the text book. But don’t worry….if you have done the reading you should not
have any problem with the quizzes!
You will also be responsible for mandatory postings to the Bulletin Board Discussions. Just like
the weekly quizzes, I will post a discussion question on Monday or Tuesday, and your response
to the question will be due by the following Sunday (four or five days later) by 11:59 pm. It
needs to be stressed that since this class does not physically meet in a classroom on campus,
participation in these discussion questions is important and represents a significant portion of
your final grade. Again, a discussion question will be posted every week and are worth 10
points a week. Students who respond with appropriate text book references and use
appropriate online references in their responses will receive the highest scores. Responses
should be thoughtful, concise, and in your own words. In order to earn the maximum number of
points (10), responses should be at least 250 words in length. . Then after posting your initial
response, you need to post substantial responses to what other students are posting
throughout the week. Students who make at least five posts during the week (in
addition to initial post) well be considered for maximum credit for the discussion
assignments. Just saying “I agree” or “I don’t agree” is not a substantial post. Tell us
why you agree or disagree with the comments that are being made by other students.
Class Presentations:
During a typical week, you will be presented with text book reading material, articles
covering current events related to criminal justice, video clips, power point slides and
other material as deemed appropriate. The material you are presented with will be
incorporated into the quizzes, tests, and discussions.
Grading Policy: Grading is based on a point system as outlined below.
Mid-Term Exam
100 Points
504-560
(90%+)
A
Final Exam
100 Points
448-503
(80-90%)
B
Weekly Quiz
130 Points
392-447
(70-79%)
C
Weekly BBD
130 Points
336-391
(60-69%)
D
Participation
50 Points
335 or less (0-59%)
Written Assignment
50 Points
Total Points
560 Points
F
Exams:
There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam administered during this semester.
Each of these exams will consist of fifty multiple choice and true/false type of questions.
In addition to these fifty questions, there will also be two essay questions worth twenty
five points each on each exam. You will be given the essay questions early in the week
so you will have plenty of time to formulate a response to each question. I will provide
more information on these essay questions during the week of the exams.
Quizzes:
A ten point quiz will be administered every week of class. As was previously stated, I
will post the quiz on Monday or Tuesday and you will have until Sunday night (for or five
days later) to post the completed quiz. If you spend time reading the assigned material,
you should have no problems with the quiz as they are straight forward and are
intended to ensure you have done the reading!
Written Assignment:
The written assignment is worth 50 points and will be explained in detail later in class. I
try to base the assignment on an important issue or current event related to the field of
criminal justice, so information will be forth coming.
Class Participation:
As you can see from the grading scale, a grade will also be given for your participation
over the course of this semester. This grade can really help you move up from one
grade to another grade based on the number of points you receive. This grade will be
based on your responses to questions I post from time to time and your responses to
whatever your fellow students have posted online. Please remember that active online
participation occurs on a daily basis and not just one time a week when you post your
answer to the Bulletin Board Discussion (BBD) question that I give you.
CHEATING/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Any student that is discovered to be cheating
in the course will receive an “F” grade for the course, will be dropped from the course
and reported to the college administration for appropriate action. Try to use your own
words as much as possible, but when you do use other sources, make sure to properly
cite or reference the source used. Failure to do so, even if unintentional, is a form of
plagiarism or academic dishonesty and will have serious consequences.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (ADA Statement)
Great Basin College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to
qualified students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws and
regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A qualified student must furnish current verification of
disability. The Director of Services for Students with Disabilities, Julie G. Byrnes, will
assist qualified students with disabilities in securing the appropriate and reasonable
accommodations, auxiliary aids and services. For more information or further
assistance, please call 775.753.2271.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
The following is a schedule for the Fall 2015 semester, including due dates for reading
assignments, quizzes, examinations, bulletin board discussions (BBD). We will try our
best to adhere to this schedule, but I do reserve the right to adjust the schedule if the
need arises based on unseen circumstances.
Week
Reading Topic
Week 1
Aug. 31
Chapter #1
Police History and Organization
Week 2
Sept. 7
Chapter #2
Organizing Public Security
Week 3
Sept. 14
Chapter #3
Organizing the Police Dept.
Week 4
Sept. 21
Chapter #4
Becoming a Police Officer
Week 5
Sept. 28
Chapter #5
The Police Role and Police Discretion
Week 6
Oct. 5
Chapter #6
Police Culture, Personality, Stress
Week 7
Oct. 12
Chapter #7
Minorities in Policing
Week 8
Oct. 19
Mid-Term Exam
Week 9
Oct. 26
Chapter #8
Police Ethics and Police Deviance
Date Posted
Due Date
BBD #1
Quiz #1
Aug. 31st
BBD#2
Quiz #2
Sept. 7th
BBD#3
Quiz #3
Sept. 14th
BBD#4
Quiz#4
Sept. 21st
Sunday
Sept. 6th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Sept. 13th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Sept. 20th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Sept. 27th
11:59 pm
BBD #5
Quiz #5
Sept. 28th
BBD #6
Quiz #6
Oct. 5th
Sunday
Oct. 4th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Oct. 11th
11:59 pm
BBD#7
Quiz#7
Oct. 12th
Essay
Questions and
Exam
Oct. 19th
Sunday
Oct. 18th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Oct. 25th
11:59 pm
BBD #8
Quiz #8
Oct. 26th
Sunday
Nov. 1st
11:59 pm
Week 10
Nov. 2
Chapter #9
Patrol Operations
Week 11
Nov. 9
Chapter #10
Investigations
Week 12
Nov. 16
Chapter #11
Police and Their Clients
Week 13
Nov. 23
Chapter #12
Community Policing
Week 14
Nov. 30
Chapter #13
Police and the Law
Week 15
Dec. 7
Chapter #14 and #15
Computers, Homeland Security
Complete the Final Exam Essay
Questions and review for Final Exam
Week 16
Dec. 14
Class Summary
Final Exam
BBD#9
Quiz#9
Nov. 2nd
BBD #10
Quiz #10
Nov. 9th
BBD #11
Quiz #11
Nov. 16th
BBD #12
Quiz #12
Tues. Nov. 23rd
BBD #13
Quiz #13
Nov. 30th
Essays
Dec. 7th
Sunday
Nov. 8th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Nov. 15th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Nov. 22nd
11:59
Sunday
Nov. 29th
11:59
Sunday
Dec. 6th
11:59 pm
Sunday
Dec. 13th
11:59 pm
Posted
Beginning of the
Week
Friday
Dec. 18th
11:59 pm
As you look through the class schedule, please remember that this is subject to change
as the need arises, and that you will be immediately notified of any schedule changes.
Also be aware that GBC policy dictates that any class “withdrawals” must occur before
60% of the class is completed. This means that the last day to withdraw from the class
and receive a “W” is November 2nd, 2015.. If you do not notify admissions and
complete the appropriate withdrawal request forms prior to this date you will receive a
letter grade for the class.